Bowman Leisure Karts Ltd

Storm Electric Kart

" The Best Electric Kart available "

The Bowman Storm Electric has a fantastic reputation, for indoors or outdoors, you can’t buy a better kart.

Operators have found the Bowman Storm Kart to be an excellent investment. Fun and safe to drive, great handling qualities, terrific braking and steering, comfortable and easy to control, there is no kart better. The Storm was originally built for the electric market and has been designed to accept the increased weight and extra stress which can cause long term damage and breakage. Most electric karts are merely modifications of existing petrol karts whereas the Storm is not.

The frame is chrome molybdenum steel tube, a high quality specification material, with excellent torsion qualities. The frame is hand built and welded and given a tough durable powder coat finish.

A hard wearing polyethylene floor panel is fitted, as are rubber mounted bumpers and side wraps. The side wraps give great side impact protection, and increases the savings in repair damage to wheels, stub axles and other components.

The kart is 48 volt and has four 12 volt gel batteries. The gel batteries are very safe and represent no hazard should they sustain any damage. The batteries are safely secured in the sidepods either side of the driver. To optimize the performance and life of the batteries, it is recommended to run the karts for up to 8 minute sessions at a time. While half the karts are charging half the karts would be running on the track. The charge time corresponds to run time up to 8 minutes. If the karts are run much more than 8 to 10 minutes the charge time will increase considerably, and that is not suitable for rental kart tracks. The battery life is between 5 to 9 months depending on track design and power setting, although this figure can vary.

The electric motor is mounted behind the driver in the engine bay and accepts both chain and belt drive.

The motor is managed by a controller ‘brain’ that has fully programmable settings to maximize a variety of functions, such as acceleration, speed etc.. The karts never go ‘out of tune’ and will always be equal, unlike the 4 stroke engines. Electric motors produce maximum torque at low revs, giving instant acceleration, no vibration and a fantastic drive.

At first the cost of electric karts and chargers may seem high, but when you consider the costs of petrol, oil, clutch and engine components the true costs are significantly reduced. Of course no extraction system is required for indoor facilities, this factor alone can place the karts at many venues that would deny a petrol engine access.

Specifications & Options

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Standard Specifications	Electric Features	Storm Electric Options
Hand built chrome molybdenum frame Powder coated paint finish Racy plastic nose panel Polyethylene front & rear bumpers Rubber mounted front & rear bumpers Polyethylene side wrap protection Polyethylene deformable sidepods Tough plastic sidepod covers Polyethylene floor panel Self adjusting hydraulic brake Armour brake line Solid rear axle Quick release rear axle bearing carriers Eccentric locking rear axle bearings Heavy duty chrome steering column Tough nylon track arms Plastic axle cover Oke alloy rims Slick durable tyres Chain drive Red/green pedal controls Tough plastic XL seat Brake disc guard protector	48 volt Zivan three phase charger Asmo or Gravitron 48 volt electric motor Two twelve volt gel batteries Motor management controller Reverse switch Motor brake switch Charger jack plug Electric throttle control Emergency stop switch	Under kart charging system Roll hoop and safety belts Belt drive Upholstered seat Pedal extensions

Specifications Explained

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Dry Centrifugal Clutch:

The dry clutch engages by steel clutch shoes being spun out into contact with a steel drum that turns the rear axle via a chain. The chain requires regular lubrication with chain oil, that is available in an aerosol can.

Oil Integrated Clutch:

The oil clutch comes affixed on the side of the Honda motor. The clutch consists of three friction plates and two disc plates that run in oil. On acceleration the plates have a progressive action of engagement, that improves the transmission to the rear axle. The oil clutch has a greater longevity than the dry version which is pone to overheating and subsequent wear. The clutch is easy to replace, and requires no additional maintenance other than regular oil changes.

Belt Drive:

Bowman use a 2 inch /50mm wide belt only available with the oil clutch. The belt is really great, has good longevity and keeps the back of the kart completely free from oil lube residue that combines with rubber and general track debris that normally creates a black oily engine compartment. The drive belt is also quieter than the chain drive. On the electric we use a 30mm wide drive belt.

Side Wraps:

To help protect the driver and kart, Bowman fit polyethylene side wraps that run the length of the kart and are attached to the front and rear bumpers and side of the kart. The wraps and bumpers give complete all round protection from impact damage. Operators have seen accident damage reduce by 75% since their introduction; side wraps also help the risk of wheel to wheel contact and karts being flipped in to the air.

Low Mounted Exhaust & Catalytic Converter:

As a safety option Bowman offer a low mounted exhaust system that is safer than the normal Honda exhaust as it tucks under the engine out of harms way. It is also more reliable than the Honda system that tends to crack after a few months. This system can also be upgraded to include a catalytic exhaust, to help reduce emissions in an indoor environment.

Central Tank:

The standard Honda top fuel tank is removed and a 7.5 litre plastic tank is fitted to the steering support between the drivers legs. On the Cadet we offer a 3 litre plastic tank. A vacuum pump operating off the inlet manifold feeds fuel to the carburettor. The system is completely maintenance free.

Roll Hoop Package:

A roll hoop behind the driver with either a lap and diagonal inertia safety belt or three way safety harness that consists of two over the shoulder straps and a strap between the legs, all joining together in a quick release clip.

LPG/Propane Conversion:

The LPG/Propane conversion to the Honda motors is an opportunity for operators to improve air quality and conditions for their customers. Apart from emission improvements, Operators will realise a gain in PROFITS due to the reduced cost of LPG/Propane over gas/petrol prices. There are no performance losses with LPG/Propane in fact the engines run cleaner and more efficiently.

Brake Disc Guard:

A 6mm/1/4” steel plate is mounted under the brake disc to protect disc when punctures occur.

Colored Pedals:

A red brake and a green throttle pedal. RED for STOP – GREEN for GO.

Upholstered Seat:

The standard seat is plastic, we can offer quarter upholstered and fully upholstered seats as an alternative. The upholstered seats are a bit more comfortable as they have a certain amount of padding in the trim, but the trim is prone to ear after constant use.

Seat Insert:

We offer a rubberised seat insert that fits inside the seat on the kart and will help push the smaller drivers about 3 inches closer to the pedals and steering column.

Pedal Extensions:

On the Bowman kart a simple drop in 4 inch pedal extension is used to give the smaller driver extra reach to the pedals.

Electric Features Explained

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Zivan three phase charger system:

To charge your Bowman Karts we recommend the Zivan 48 volt chargers. These chargers are three phase and Operators can either choose to have one charger per kart or share the charger between two karts.

Motor management Controller:

A management control system is used to control settings and functions of the electric motor. On the Asmo a Sevcon controller, and on the Gravitron a Curtiss system is used . Both management systems have similar functions and are fully programmable.

Gel Batteries:

The gel batteries are quite simply a sealed 12 volt battery, with the extra capability of sustaining continuous charge and discharge functions. The batteries are a liquefied gel, that will not spill if involved in an accident, and are completely user friendly and safe.

Reverse Switch:

A reverse switch is located on the kart and is generally recommended for use by track marshals and staff and not for customer use. Allowing customers to use the reverse gear without supervision, could lead to injury.

Motor Brake Switch:

An electronic switch mounted in the brake hydraulics is activated when the brake pedal is depressed. This switch interrupts the power supply to the electric motor when activated and reduces the risk of subjecting the motor to undue stress.

Charger Jack Plug:

A charger jack plug is mounted at the rear of the kart to facilitate charging operations. A reciprocal plug is mounted on the charger lead and a staff member plugs & unplugs the charger as the karts park and exit the pit area.

Electric Throttle Control:

The throttle pedal controls the acceleration of the kart electronically. The pedal activates a potentiometer that sends an electronic signal to the management system, that controls the acceleration and deceleration of the kart.

Emergency Stop Switch:

A stop switch is mounted at rear of kart and can be used for instantly switching off the kart.

48 volt Update:

On the Cadet kart we offer an update from 24 volt to 48 volt. The update will permit the child karts to use the same chargers as the adult kart and also run for greater lengths of time.

Reasons for choosing Storm Electric

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Capital Costs:

Overall costs compare very favorably with traditional petrol karts.

Operational Costs:

Considerable reduction in kart running costs. Less maintenance required, fewer moving parts, more reliable and robust.

Zero Emissions:

No expensive ventilation or monitoring equipment required, no pollution, great atmosphere, reduced operating costs.

Low Fire Risk:

With no highly flammable fuel, hot exhaust or engine parts, reduced fire risk, greater customer safety.

Chassis Construction:

Unique kart design specifically designed for electric power.

Improved Safety:

Full operator speed control and safety options.

Zero Noise:

No noise. Eases the bureaucratic burden for planning compliance.

Locations:

Easily integrated with other environmental friendly activities.

Performance:

Exceptional.

Reliability:

Second to none.

Designed for Electrical Power:

Gives greater operational life and performance.

Microprocessor Technology:

Fully programmable management system.

Quality Components:

Greater longevity.

Outdoors:

No problem in adverse and wet conditions.

Bowman Pledge:

QUALITY and PERFORMANCE.

Photo Gallery

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